FDEP to hold public hearing regarding purchase of Tomoka/Ford Marsh property
Posted On: August 10, 2023
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Acquisition and Restoration Council will hold a public hearing to gather community input about the nomination for the 1,200-acre Tomoka/Ford Marsh property in Ormond Beach to be considered for purchase by the Florida Forever land acquisition program. The hearing will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the County Council Chambers of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand.
The Volusia Forever program had previously identified the Tomoka Marsh property, which contains high-functioning coastal and estuarine wetlands, and the Volusia County Council approved it as a priority for acquisition on April 5, 2022. The Florida Parks Service seeks to partner with Florida Forever and Volusia Forever to acquire this property to expand the adjacent 6,000 acres of conservation land, which contains Bulow Creek State Park and North Peninsula State Park.
The public is encouraged to participate in this hearing. The agenda and Volusia Forever property evaluation results, project report and application submitted to Florida Forever can be accessed at https://www.volusia.org/forever. For more information, contact Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh at bburbaugh@volusia.org or 386-943-7081, ext. 13455.
As the state’s premier conservation acquisition program, Florida Forever manages 10 million acres for conservation. Since its inception in July 2001, Florida Forever has purchased more than 897,785 acres of land, using $3.3 billion dedicated to land acquisition.
Volusia Forever was created in 2000 when Volusia County citizens voted to tax themselves .2 mills over 20 years to protect the county’s natural biodiversity. Voters renewed it for another 20 years in 2020. To stretch these dollars as far as possible, Volusia Forever forms partnerships with federal, state, water management district and local agencies that are committed to protecting natural resources. More than 38,000 acres have been acquired since the program’s inception.
